


A Chance Encounter

by CellarSpider



Category: Warframe
Genre: Gen, Orokin Era, The Old War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-13 15:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21000287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CellarSpider/pseuds/CellarSpider
Summary: An unremarkable person meets an Orokin-made monster.





	A Chance Encounter

It had understood him, at least a bit. Otherwise he'd be dead. 

He'd been an _idiot_. He saw it off in the distance, alone and out of place. He'd moved closer, telling himself he wasn't doing this out of curiosity--what if it went towards town? What if there were more of them? People would need to know. He had good reasons to watch it.

It had heard him when he'd scuffed his foot on a root. It snapped around, he had the impression of luminous blue eyes staring at him, and he'd panicked. Broke into a run.

Stupid. They were made to go after targets. Instinct had gotten both him and it.

It was heavier than he was, but its long legs closed the distance terrifyingly fast. Blind with fear, he'd just tried to run _away_.

Stupid again. Now they were _both_ down the cliff, and the fall hadn't been kind to either of them.

It had gotten up first, limping, maybe dazed--it was hard to tell, with a face like that.

He wasn't even sure what he'd said. He was all babbling terror, holding up his one arm that was working right, pleading for it to stop.

And it had. Cold blue still drilling into him. It was breathing hard, he'd noticed, but it wasn't shaking like he was.

It had turned away from him with a frustrated snarl, turning to look back up the cliff. No way up. Those things were freakishly fit, but--no way it could scale that, at least not with that limp. Maybe it had broken something, maybe it had normal flesh that bruised just like his. He'd never seen one out of that armor. Never seen one _at all_, not _in person_. Just seen some pictures, heard stories about Orokin-made monsters.

Now he was stuck down here with it.

He considered running again. But he had at least one broken bone, a rattled, swimming head--he could barely stand up on the first try.

It turned back to him, and he nearly _did_ run.

It looked... lost. Angry, angry enough that he was afraid to speak again, but...

Wait. Weren't these things supposed to have guns? Why didn't this one? It had a wicked-looking blade strapped to it, but no gun.

Otherwise it probably would've shot him already.

"No way back up," he said, and his voice was so unsteady it didn't sound like himself at all. "And it's--it's gonna be night soon. I don't know, maybe you can do fine out here at night, but--" He swallowed.

"There's... _things _out here at night. They'll get me." And there was a thing right here, still staring at him with that unnerving blue. Utterly blank.

Maybe it hadn't understood him at all. It probably just decided he wasn't a threat.

But he was babbling again. "There's a place--a mile south, hunters go there at night sometimes, I--I need to get there, it'll be safe--"

It took a half-step closer. _"Safe?"_

_"Wh--?"_

It stared at him. It _spoke?_ He didn't think they could do that, he'd never--

He'd never seen one, had he?

"Yes. Safe. It's a small lodge, down to the ridge, past the pond and--"

It shifted impatiently, flinching and settling back to favoring one leg. "Go," it rasped.

For a moment, he froze. He shouldn't have told it. Now if he went, it might follow him. No, _would_ follow him. Sure, it was lost and hurt, but that didn't mean it was actually _alone_ or in _any_ way helpless. Didn't mean it wouldn't do him harm again. Maybe there were others around that wouldn't stop when he begged. Maybe it would snap and kill him.

But the word it had latched on to was _safe_.

"Okay," he finally said. "Okay."

He set off unsteadily out of the ravine, the grineer limping heavily behind him.


End file.
